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Statira Crawford's Grave Site


This was once known as the Union Grove Cemetery and had burials as early as before the civil war, per Bessie Goodman.  It was then known as Parvin Cemetery in 1886 and called the Green Cemetery in 1950.  Elderly rsidents of the area - L Q Myles, Wathina Culver, L O Ford and others recall that there were at least 40 tombstones in the graveyard as late as the early 1950's, some with death dates in the 1860's.

   Statira Crawford's grave is a brick tomb with a white limestone marker and is located in a heavily-wooded cattle pasture, yet not 100 feet from a busy farm to market road.  In 1936 the grave was fenced in by unknown persons with chain-link fencing and that act has solely been the saving grace of it's existence, as all the other markers within this old cemetery are now gone and cattle tred over the graves.

The tombstone is inscribed:
Statira Crawford
Died Jan'ry 24th 1870
Aged 34 yrs, 9 mos, 21 dys


Crawford Burial Site

  In Kaufman County History, Vol 2 (1984) on page 137, a section is written about this grave.  In that article the writer, Daisy Heifner, repeats a legend about Statira Crawford's grave.  The long-told story is that Statira's family was passing through Kaufman County in a covered wagon on their way west, when she suddenly died.  Her husband buried her on the spot and marked it well, then at the next town left enough gold for a tombstone to be made and erected on the grave.
  A great story, but not true.

  Statira C S Smith was born in Tennessee on 3 Apr 1835.  
When she was only 14 years old she married in Lewis Co TN on 29 Mar 1849, to a widower named Robert F Crawford.
They are listed on the 1850 Lewis Co TN Census -Civil Dist 1 -21 Sept 1850
HH# 322/322

Crawford, Robert F28 Farmer 200SC
Statira15 WifeTN
Smith, Susan16200 (sister of Statira)TN
Crawford, Elizabeth 8(Robert's daughter by wife #1)TN
Crawford, Isabella 6(Robert's daughter by wife #1)TN


  By 1851 Statira and Robert were living in Jackson Co AR, where a record is found in the Probate Records there, dated 15 Jul 1851.  Evidently Statira, listed as a Minor over the age 14, inherited some property and she petitioned the Courts to have her husband Robert F. Crawford appointed Guardian of that property in Tennessee.  Bond of Robert F Crawford, Gdn. Recorded 7-14-1851.

  Near that same time in Jackson Co AR, Statira's sister, Susan, petitioned the courts for Enoch E Crawford to act as Guardian of her property.

By 1860 Statira and Robert had moved to Texas and were living in Ellis County.  Robert was residing in Telico, listed as R F, age 38, born SC, Farmer living alone in HH# 205/191.   Statira is listed living nearby at Brockville with the W. Anderson family- HH# 218/204, along with her 4 children by Robert, and another Crawford relative:

S Crawford24TN
N (female) 9AR
H Z (female) 6AR
J W (male) 2TX
T J (male)6 mosTX
A Crawford (male)44SC


  It is not known why Statira and Robert were living apart at the time.  In Jan 1862 Robert enlisted in the Confederate States Army - Co A 22nd TX Cavalry.  He remained with that unit for a year until he was discharged because of his age and health problems.

  The next record seen is after Statira died.  She is listed on the 1870 Kaufman County Mortality List as aged 34 yrs - born TN - died January from Pneumonia - occupation:  House Keeper.

  In 1870 Robert and Statira's surviving children were living in Kaufman - in the southwest portion of Kaufman County, near where Statira is buried - HH# 883/901:

Robert48SCFarmer
Nancy J18ARKeeping House  (daughter)
Harriet Z15AR 
Andrew 9TX 
Robert 8TX 
Mary 4TX 
Anjollie 2TX 


  Many Kaufman County folks played in the area of Statira's grave when they were children.  Walthina Culver recalls it in the 1930's & 1940's when a string of barbed wire wound around the closest trees was the only thing that kept the cattle off it.  Donald Hunt recalls it always being fenced when he and his brothers played there in the 1960's.

   In the spring and summer the grave is totally hidden, swallowed up by blooming vine that has grown completely over it.

The site was photographed 11 Jan 1999 - Kathey & Donald Hunt




This Kaufman County page was created on September 7, 1999.
Updated February 14, 2006.

Copyright © 1999-2008 by Abby Balderama
Coordinator of the Kaufman County, TXGenWeb Project site
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


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